Steam boiler and fluid heater



July 21, 1936. J. w. HAYS 2,048,446 STEAM BOILER AND FLU ID HEATER Filed April 15, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 1 I AP.MC Wa GP 6w 2 W6 3p 73 A n A2 CT WG W T ZAZ Wfl- -11 17 Ed RT AL MR6 I 3/- t-.- y

Hd3 J2 g a WITNESSES INVENTOR July v21, 1936. 1w HAY 2,048,446 STEAM BOILER AND FLUID HEATER Filed April 13, 1933 3' Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS s W 7 INVENTOR J y 1 1936. J. w. HAYS STEAM BOILER AND FLUID HEATER I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April '15, 193' WITNESS 30 to th'e airplane and the d gov panying drawingsf'in wh c Patented July 21, 1936 n 2,04s, g STEAMQBQILER ANn HFLmpn r gR wi liays, Tulsa, kla. 1 Application 1933, =Serial,No.=;fi65,998 c1. '1z2-'3 67) My invention contemplatesthe use of a relativ'eiy sinali sized' boiler; "or heater? of extraordihar'iiy' high capacity and capapie" of operating at high'pres'suresfsucha cioiler s' w6u1d bes'uitable 'for'airpiafie'sor automobile p'bweredby steam engines o'r' turbines, and 5 for many iother' uses,

whether stationary "or mobile. a 'The steam car f'ailedto' hold its own with the gas-powered automobile because of its limited l0 "boiler cfapacityi For shortiiistan'cesthe steam car, drawingupo'n' its stored energy, "could cutpower its competitor, but on long runs at high speeds' it could not hold its awn because of' the inability of itsboiler to'plod'fifie s'taifi aS fast as required. In the then statepf the art a' h'oiler er suiiicent capacity toiir'ie'et thef i111 requirements wuld'htveihri outof 'the' uestienbecause-of its size'andweight. f rr' n,-

Iri spite of its complicated mechanism and the dangerous characteristics urns fuI, the gasoline engine hi'therto'a'lwa'y's heeii supreme-iii the "tion; as well'as in 'th'afib'f imitortra'nss .i a a s Y.

" It is generaily conceded by engineers that steam, as a prime mover, has certain "niai'ked advantages v'e'ra'n other means of power'yet' devised by man' Nothing can eiiceedthelsimplicity and fiexibilityhf the steam'jpriin''iiibv f. Ii 1y invention makes it possible to adaptsteam V 'ible, winetpr ears, motor trains, motor boats, and tdaiiyothf'use 'or purpols' ewhere'power'isreduiiedl My boiler ma also be used for the quick heating 'of water or other liquid, such as "(iiIT'fdf' example, and in the large 'q'uaiititis'"rduired'fdi pi 'c'ss work, and the like. As a heater my invention is "also adaptable to the' mce'ss of cracking; Thecbjectsof my invent on means ofthe'appa'ratus "t p p W H Figure is a cross-secti 1 view of the boiler, 9 heat t th r w h? i z e f e Di heat'iirig the airjsupplyf for" hebiirr'ir, iniiring Idevice'ior mixing the air withtiie @91 '(gasor'foil Figure 3 is a cross-sectional yiew on theiine,

50 Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view-on the line,

z-2, Figure- I Figure 5 is a cross-sectional viewon the-line,

Figure 1.

attained hy simiiar designations are used for siinilar parts 5'5 ,inEtheFWe'ral-fiQuresi a The entire apparatus is covered withipsulating materia1;;Ins."'

In Figure. 1, .AZ is a sheet-metal support preferably "of aluminum; for the insulating material, .Dis. Al:is held iriposition by theiugs Lg andby 5 certain fixed parts of theapparatus, 511011135 1116 "of the t'ubesfCT and J, the smallvcirculatingitubes, 'WI',"the headers,i"Hd and" ZHd ,'into whichjhe smalitubesQWT, are expanded, or we1 ded,,and 10 to'whi'ch .the tube, 'CT, welded, andtheheaden Hd towhich the tube, .J,is' welded at one end,

the other end bein'g'wel ded to H11 :2.'I'hespa'ce about the tubes, WT,,within the tube, CT, ahdtbetw'een the headers; fHd and "H4 is 1 packed. with refractory matei'ial; Re. iThe .fcombustible mixture, which is composed of, air; and

'gas, or air arid vapoigburhs in the midsteofsthese refractories. 1'Ihe"wa'ste"ga'se's, WG; "are dis- .c'harg'ed through the refractory-packedtubes, 20

RTI'iiitO the waste gas chamber; WC,'from whence Yth'eyf'make their escape "viatlieannular space i betwe'en CT andJ; and, finally; to. the "air through the heat exchanger, HE.

1G1- "is,a grid"tosupport the refractoriesin the 25 tubes, RT;"";W is "an inlettube for water and connects th'source 0f"water'supp1y with fthe airinul'ar space: between CT and :J TOn' entering this space the water flows withthe' arrows,.;W and thus reaches thewatertxibesQWT, where it is'converted'into steam; SC is a'steam chamber which. is connected. with the steam :drum, ;SD, by

.the 'pipe fskf-B is'a bafiie arrangement insD'to "separate any" entrained ,;water' which may ,be

*"carried over with"the steam." a. RP is a; return Rpip "connectingtsD with "the water circulating space, W6 1 In "most" cases where; .the tbofler; is operated" at very high ratings the use of SD r'nayibe o'mitte'di V 1is ayalve. in RP:"

" The steam chambe MSC, is formed tbyrthe "greater strength t'o' th structure, .J may'ibe "swaged, asindicate'd by: thefdotted 1inesffJ Y J .may. be swage'dat the otherridalsb, as shown The igniting vdevice, ID, which is shown as a spark plug; 'but" which may I? be anything else "answeringthe purpose, ignites a mixture of air and gas, of air and"vaporfandfinitiatescom- :bustiori: Thairis supplied'by' a bldwer, or by any other s'ati'sfactory means, and is delivei'ed under asiri'uch pdsitiye pressure as desired.[ The ai'r flows first thrdug h th' mess-yer the heat exchanger, HE," where it is preheated by" the wasteigasesQ WG; which, asiziirected byfthe'ba'fiie,

fractory material.

SB, flow spirally across the tubes, A. The preheated air then enters the chamber, MC, and passes through the tubes, AP, flowing around the gas delivery pipes, GN. Gas, or vapor, as the case may be, is delivered to the gas chamber, GC, through the pipe, GP, and is preferably supplied under a pressure as high as the circumstances will admit. The pipes, GN, are of small bore and are swaged to tipsat the ends for small nozzle vents, N.

. It will be noted that the tubes, AP, are welde to the headers, Hel and H01 that the water circulating tubes, WT, are welded to Hel and Hd and that the tubes, RT, are welded to Hat and HF. give the structure great strength.

Pressures much in excess of 1000 pounds per square inch can be maintained with perfect safety in this boiler.

The possibilities of surface, or flameless, or catalytic combustion as a means of burning fuel at high rates with efiiciencies not previously maintained were demonstrated as much 'as twenty years ago, but the process lacked certain things, among others, safety, to make it practicable and workable. In my co-pending applications, Serial Numbers 653,468 and 653,469,

' I have shown how the process may be made safe 'andworkable when burning fuel at unprecedented rates. The said process consists in burning an explosive mixture of air and gas, or air and vapor, in a bed, or packing, of granular re- When this material becomes highly heated it acts as a catalyst and accelerates the rate of chemical combination to the pointwhere combustion becomes instantaneous, or explosive, in its character." The quantity of and capable of withstanding temperatures as high as 3500 F. are now available. (Reference may here be had to my co.-pending application,

Serial Number 653,470.)

r The effects of compression upon combustion .are now known and appreciated by automotive engineers, yet such a procedure as that of burning. an ordinary fuel, like gas, for the ordinary purpose of producing steam but under a posi- ;.tive pressure of. from a few to many pounds per square inch has not been considered very seriously by many engineers, perhaps because of the high costs of producing such pressure.

It is quite. plain that the higher the moving pressure applied to a gas the greater will be the quantity of the gas moved in a given time.

' 'It follows from this that if any process of combustion, such as the catalytic process, is instantaneous, or practically so, then the pressure applied to the air-gas, or air-vapor mixture may be taken as a measure, or function, of the rate of combustion, because if the volume of a gas varies inversely with the absolute pressure the weight abnormal pressures may be shown to be uneconomical, as a general rule, for stationary power plants because of the cost of air compression,

All of these tubes act as stays and yet there are cases where such compression costs nothing, as instanced in my co-pending application for patent on Closed system heaters operating under high pressure, Serial Number 672,361. There may be many such instances. 5

Forced-draft, producing pressures in excess of the atmosphere, has been in quite general use for many years in the transportation field and, to some extent, in the stationary field. Economies are determined by balancing all of the costs of natural draft equipment and operation against those of forced-draft equipment and operation. Weight is a detriment in transportation because it requires as much energy to transport the motive power plant, pound for pound, 'as it does to carry the revenue-producing cargo. Next to the weight of the plant the space required for its accommodation and for that of the fuel is an important factor, and this is especially true of air-planes and dirigibles.

All moving bodies encounter air resistance, or must move against an air pressure which may be approximately calculated by the formula, (Smeaton) P=0.005 V in which P is the pressure per square foot, and V is the velocity in miles per 25 hour. A body moving at the rate of miles per hour would, therefore, encounter a resistance of .5 lb. per square foot; at 50 miles, 12.5 lbs.; at 100 miles, 50 lbs; at 150 miles, 112.5 lbs. at 200 miles, 200 lbs. at 250 miles, 312.5 lbs., and at 300 miles, 30 450 lbs.

Formulas by authorities, other than Smeaton, give lower values than 0.005 for the coefficient of V.

Whatever such pressures may be, it is plain 3 that they may be applied to useful work as a means of producing draft for a fuel burner, and this at no cost at all for, or increase of weight on account of, the equipment. My, present invention has nothing to do with any sort of means for producing draft pressure, or for raising the pressure of the gas, or vapor, used for fuel, but it is apropos to show how pressure may be attained to some extent without cost. To this end I have called attention to available air pressures, and I may add that in all cases where an oil, such as a distillate, is used as a fuel for my boiler it will be necessary to vaporize it before introduction to the burner. This may be accomplished by heating the oil in a closed vessel, employing waste heat for such purpose, if available in sufficient quantity and at suificient intensity. Vapor may thus be produced and the vapor pressure built up to any point desirable.

My invention provides a means for producing steam in quantities and at temperatures which are limited only by the pressures which are applied to the combustible mixture. Any such pres sure may be employed, ranging from one which 60 is barely above that of the atmosphere to hundreds of pounds per square inch. My invention makes this possible. The higher the pressures employed in the combustion zone the smaller the size and weight of the boiler required to produce 65 any stated output of steam within reason.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood I shall now describe the operation of the boiler in more detail.

I have already called attention to the great 7 strength of the structures shown, which strength is due to the fact that the fiat surfaces are braced and stayed by a multiplicity of tubes, AP, WT and RT. The construction is such that relatively light weight materials may be used, while the 75 permissible pressures may be extraordinarily high.

Water is taken into the 'boiler, or ,heater,

through .W. The supply may comefrom any .so'drdeandthe water maybe hot or c ,old,.de-

pendingupon the purpose forwhich ,theboiler, or

'heatergis being used. Thematerials used and ,able for producing a circulationofthefluid, which is, tobe heated, through the tubesand other passages ofthe apparatus.

.The water, which is underpressuretrom the feed pump, or other sourcespasses through the tube, W, and jdownward'between the tubes, CT andJ, receivingjheat,from1CT and, as will be hereinafterexplained, from J, also. Thewater next circulates aroundthetubes, RT, whichare packed with refractory materials R e, and then passes upwards at high velocity through the small tubes, WT, where it is heated to a high temperatureor flashed into steam, depending upon the temperature at which the water is received into the circulating system and thevelocity at which it is caused to how. The'tubes, WT, are surroundedwith refractory materials, inthe midst of and upon which-the combustiblemixtureof air and gas, or air and vapor, burns without flame, the rate of combustion being accelerated to avery marked degree bythe action of the hot refractory catalysts. A very high temperature is produced and the heat, being in the radiant form, passeswith great rapidity through the walls of the tubes, WT, and those of the tube, or, to-the water or other fluid which is to be heated.

Assuming that the apparatus is being used to produce steam as a flash boiler:

Steam is formed in the tubes, WT, through which it passes, perhaps in a super-heated state, into the steam chamber, SC, thence through S, direct to the engines or turbines, or other destination, where it is to be utilized, the steam drum, SD, not being necessary in such circumstances.

Assuming that the apparatus'is operated as a semi-flash boiler:

,Mingled steam and waterwould pass-from WT into SC, thence through S into SD, where the water and steam would be separated by the bafiles,

B, the steam passing outthroughthe pipe, SP,

in which there is the valve, V SD is connected at the bottom ,withthe water circulating space, 'WC bythe pipe, RP. The arrangement is such that a disengagement surface, DS, is -provided the latter may return from SD to wC thro-ugh RP, as already stated.

The fuel, gas or vapor, is supplied through the pipe, GP, from any suitable source and under a pressurapreferably inexcess ofthat of the .airwithewhich it is to be mixed suchpressure being applied or acquiredin any suitable way. GC is a chamber for the gas, or vapor, from which the fluent combustible is distributed to the tubes, GN,-, which are, preferably, of relatively small size and provided at their discharge. ends with small vents, or nozzles, N, through which the gas, or vapor, is dischargedat high velocities against the refractory materials Be.

Air, under pressure, reaches the air chamber, MC, through the pipes,,A, ,and is ,distributed to the pipes, AP, through which it moves, at, high of 3e device, I D, whichishere shown as a spark plug,

purpose. Assoon asignitio-n has been established QID-may-beswitehed out of service.

and .GCjis provided with a flange, Fl, which is use of the heat-exchanger, HE; that the cylin-.. -drical jacket, J, might be omitted and the water, or,,o ther liquid to be heated, delivered direct to th rei actori s. R

7 ,Byrneansoflthe above movements of the air andgas, or air andvapor, the two are thoroughly migedmhenthe streams are mushroomed by their impingement upon the opposing surfaces The mixture is ignited by the igniting ,bubwhichmaybe anything else answering the ,A very hightcmperature is produced in Be,

.as ,stated, the heat is passed very rapidly threugh the ,walls .of the tubes, WT and CT. The gas egus productsuof combustion pass onward .throughjte and escape through the tubes, RT,

into WC, the temperature of these gases being conducted by J to W It will be seen that W whichrflows in a relatively thin stream through WC ,,re,ceives heat from two directions.

. .25 The waste gases, WG, continue their flow, as shown bythe arrows, passing over the confining walls of SC MC and GC and, finally, make their escape through the heat exchanger, HE, where some of theirresidual heat is taken up by the, 3()

. air flowing through the tubes, A. The waste gases, WG, flowacrcss the tubes, A, in a spiral manneras directed by the baflles, SB, and finally .maketheir escape to the open air.

The tubes, A, and the walls of GC may be made of any light, material, such as aluminum, but there must, of

0 course, be suificient strength to withstand the T-5 5 l'$ WhfilFQY th a "The structure which forms the walls of MC 40 secured toi-ld by means of the stud-bolts,Sb, whichare weldedto l-ld Ga is a gasket which mal zesthe joint air-tight.

It willbe seen from the foregoing that I combine a heat regenerative means with a heat pro,-

, ducingmeans andthat this contributes to the efiiciency ot the apparatus.

.It will alsobe seen that I provide heating surfaces which, in their aggregate areas, are very the relatively narrow space, W0 between the for the escape of steam from the water, wh1le *WCE-may be relatively wider or narrower than shown. The several dimensions will depend upon the use for which the apparatus is designed and the rate of combustion provided for.

.05 My invention is not confined tothe combina tion of .allaof. the .parts showntinwiny drawings It will be understood that the apparatus would :iunction, but with less efiiciency, without the WT, i,n,which case CTwould have to be cooled in some other manner than as shown in the drawings. This could be accomplished by flowing.

the air required for combustion over CT, thereby preheating the air, or the feed-water taken by the boiler could be preheated in WC and sent to a storage tank, or the heat delivered through CT could be employed for process work or for any other useful purpose. A very practicable modification of the construction shown in my drawings would be to move the inlet connection 'W to the position, A or some other place corresponding thereto, in which case the water would flow, in part, through the tubes, WT, and, in part, through W0 as indicated by the dotted arrows, and would reach SD from WC through the pipe, RP. The flow would thus be countercurrent through both WT and W0 whereas in my drawings the flow is counter-current in WT and parallel-current in WC The arrangement of exterior preheating chamber, W0 and of the boiler water-circulating tubes, WT, running through and being embedded in the refractory furnace packing, Re, is, in my opinion, novel and susceptible of numerous modifications, as to details and structure, in addition to those which I have mentionedall of which would come within the scope of my present invention.

It is obvious that my invention may be employed for numerous purposes, other than that of producing steam, such as refining, and even cracking, oil and for many special heating purposes in other kinds of process work. The fluid which is being heated for treatment may be raised to the exact temperature required merely by regulating the speed of the pump used to force the fluid through the heater.

I claim:

1. A boiler, or heater comprising a vertically disposed cylindrical furnace, packed with refractory materials, a cylindrical shell enclosing said furnace and serving as a retaining wall for said refractory materials, a shell surrounding said cylindrical shell and spaced apart therefrom to form an annular liquid chamber, a liquid distributing chamber extending transversely across said furnace chamber at the lower end thereof, said liquid distributing chamber being welded to said cylindrical shells and in communication with the liquid space therein, liquid circulating tubes connected with said distributing chamber and extending upwardly through said furnace surrounded by said refractory materials and connected with a vapor chamber welded to said cylindrical walls at the upper ends thereof, tubes or hollow stay bolts, running through said liquid distributing chamber through which the waste gases of combustion are discharged and an inlet for liquid supply located at the upper end of said annular liquid chamber, and means to introduce fluid fuel through said vapor chamber.

2. A liquid heater or vaporizer comprising in combination a vertically disposed cylindrical furnace, an annular liquid preheating chamber surrounding said furnace and linearly coextensive therewith, a liquid distributing chamber below said furnace and connected with said preheating chamber, hollow stay bolts or tubes set in said distributing chamber, a steam or vapor drum above said furnace, and a multiplicity of tubes connecting said steam or vapor drum with said distributing chamber and running through said furnace, an outlet from said steam or vapor drum and an inlet into the upper part of said preheating chamber through which liquid may be forced into said preheating chamber thence downwardly into said distributing chamber and thence upwardly through said tubes toward the said steam or vapor chamber.

3. A liquid heater or vaporizer comprising in combination a vertically disposed cylindrical furnace,'an annularly disposed liquid preheating chamber surrounding said furnace and linearly coextensive therewith, a liquid distributing chamber below said furnace and connected with said preheating chamber, hollow stay bolts or tubes set in said distributing chamber, a steam or vapor chamber above said furnace, a multiplicity of tubes connecting said steam or vapor chamber with said distributing chamber and running through said furnace, an outlet from said steam nace, an annularly disposed liquid preheating chamber surrounding said furnace and linearly coextensive therewith, a liquid distributing chamber below said furnace and connected with said liquid preheating chamber, hollow stay bolts or tubes setin said distributing chamber, a vapor chamber above said furnace, a multiplicity of tubes connecting said vapor chamber and said distributing chamber, tubes running through said vapor chamber through which air and fluid fuel may be forced into said furnace, a packing of refractory material in said furnace and surrounding said connecting tubes, an outlet from said vapor chamber and an inlet near the upper part of said preheating chamber through which liquid may be forced into said chamber, thence downwardly into said distributing chamber and thence upwardly through said tubes toward said vapor chamber together with means for forcing air and fluid fuel into said furnace, for igniting same and for forcing the products of combustion through said refractory material and out through the said hollow stay bolts or tubes in said distributing chamber.

5. A liquid heater or vaporizer comprising a vertically disposed cylindrical furnace packed with refractory catalysts, tubes running through said catalysts and connecting with a vapor chamber above said furnace and a liquid distributing chamber below said furnace, a metal jacket surrounding said furnace and forming with the metal wall of the latter a liquid preheating chamber, a connection between said preheating chamber and said distributing chamber, an outlet from said vapor chamber and an inlet into said preheating chamber through which a liquid may be forced, thence downwardly into said distributing chamber and thence upwardly through said tubes toward said vapor chamber together with means for forcing air and fluid combustible into and through said furnace and for igniting same.

6. A liquid heater or vaporizer comprising a preheater, a liquid distributing chamber with a connection for permitting free liquid flow from the one to the other, a vapor chamber disposed above the distributing chamber and connected therewith by a multiplicity of relatively small tubes, an outlet from said vapor chamber and an inlet into said preheating chamber through which a liquid may be forced into said chamber, thence downwardly into said distributing chamber and thence upwardly into said vapor chamber, a vertically disposed furnace betweensaid distributing chamber and said vapor chamber and enclosing said tubes, the metal wall of the said furnace serving as one of the walls of the preheating chamber, a packing of refractory materials in the said furnace and surrounding the said tubes together with means for introducing air and fluid combustible into said furnace and for igniting same 5 amongst said refractory materials.

JOSEPH W. HAYS. 

